Deej

Neurodiversity paradigm
Philosophy Bodily autonomy Disability rights movement Independent living movement Self-advocacy
Organizations Aspies For Freedom Autism Network International Autistic Self Advocacy Network National Autistic Society
Events Autism Acceptance Day & Month Autism History Month Autistic Pride Day Autscape Disability Day of Mourning Neurodiversity Celebration Week Weird Pride Day
Issues Ableism Anti-autism All in a Row Applied behavior analysis Augmentative and alternative communication Autism-friendly Autism Speaks Communication Shutdown Community integration Controversies in autism Deinstitutionalisation Disability-selective abortion Double empathy problem Ethical challenges to autism treatment Eugenics Facilitated communication Filicide Inclusion in education Inclusion as a right Judge Rotenberg Center Neurodiversity and labor rights Ole Ivar Lovaas Social model of disability Societal and cultural aspects of autism Universal Design for Learning
People Alex Plank Ari Ne'eman Damian Milton Daniel Lightwing Devon Price Donna Williams govy Greta Thunberg Jim Sinclair John Elder Robison Josef Schovanec Judy Singer Julia Bascom Lydia Brown Mel Baggs Michelle Dawson Morénike Giwa Onaiwu Morton Ann Gernsbacher Nick Walker Robert Chapman Roy Richard Grinker Shain Neumeier Stephen Shore Steve Silberman Temple Grandin William Davenport
Films Citizen Autistic Deej Loving Lampposts Neurotypical
Criticism Pro-cure perspective National Council on Severe Autism Matthew Belmonte Manuel Casanova Jill Escher Michael Fitzpatrick Bruce Hall David Miedzianik Jonathan Mitchell Alysson Muotri Jonathan Shestack Alison Singer
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Deej is a 2017 documentary about David James (DJ) Savarese, a nonspeaking autistic teenager who communicates with a voice synthesizer. The film has been criticized as using the scientifically discredited facilitated communication technique;^[3] however, it has been pointed out that Deej actually used augmentative and alternative communication, a technique that does work but is often mistaken for facilitated communication.^[4]

The film was directed by Robert Rooy. David James Savarese, known as DJ or Deej, was also credited as a director and co-producer of the documentary.^[5] The film depicts Savarese as an activist with the goal of promoting communication access for nonspeaking autistic people as part of the neurodiversity movement.^[6]

Savarese was adopted from the foster care system and diagnosed early in life as autistic.^[7] As a child, his adoptive parents struggled to ensure his inclusion in the local public school system.^[8] Eventually winning the right for Savarese to receive education in public schools, his parents framed their challenges as a civil rights struggle against ableism.^[9][10][7] Since the events featured in Deej, Savarese was awarded a degree from Oberlin College.^[10][11]

Deej aired nationally on PBS in October 2017.^[12]

The film's relationship to facilitated communication was the subject of one critical essay in a peer reviewed journal.^[13] Behavioral scientist and author, Craig Foster notes that Deej is never shown independently communicating or exhibiting his "hidden intelligence", even though the documentary implies that he does. Foster argues the documentary does not mention that scientific studies have raised questions about facilitated communication and that "skepticism toward facilitated communication is necessary to ameliorate its harmful influence and to encourage genuine acceptance of people with complex communication needs."^[13]

Janyce L. Boynton, a former facilitator who has become a critic of facilitated communication, judges the film in a review to be "uncritical promotion" of facilitated communication and notes that the film's editors "chose to leave out some vital information." She concludes that the documentary is a "missed opportunity to teach people what about what living with autism is really like" and that the story the film tells is "one sided and built on facilitator-authored messages."^[14]

On September 14, 2019, neurodivergence advocate Shannon Des Roches Rosa published an article pointing out that Deej did not, in fact, use facilitated communication. Rosa argues that Foster, the scientist who first criticized Deej, mistook a different technique, known as augmentative and alternative communication, for facilitated communication. She further admonished Foster’s article as an example of confirmation bias and scientific ableism, drawing attention to Foster's failure to contact or interview relevant parties before presenting his allegation professionally.^[4]

• Peabody award^[15]
• Chagrin Documentary Festival – Winner, Best Feature^[16]
• Indigo Moon Film Festival – Winner, Best Documentary^[16]
• Newburyport Film Festival – Audience Award^[16]
• Superfest Disability Film Festival – Best Feature^[16]

• Official website
• Deej at IMDb
• "ASHA Policy Statement"